In July, Commissioner Michael Masiapato’s fledgling BMA (it marked its second anniversary in October) told Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations (JSCA) and the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs (PCHA) its 2023/24 budget request was R2.9 billion but it received less than half (R1.34 billion). This allocation increased marginally to R1.4 billion in 2024/25, with R1.47 billion allocated for the current 2025/26 financial year.

Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha’s landward force, along with the rest of the SANDF, knows full well and has lived with effective decreases and only minimal funding increases from Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s National Treasury (NT) for more years than successive defence and military veterans’ ministers care to remember. Apart from putting the brakes on acquisition of replacement equipment, this has seen no increase in boots on the ground for the SANDF Operation Corona border protection tasking – still standing at 15 “sub-units”, mostly infantry companies, deployed along the 4 470 km plus land border.

Exact numbers of soldiers from the regular and reserve components as well as other SA Army formations deployed to protect border integrity are not known. In this regard African Defence Review Director Darren Olivier estimates the current 15 “sub-units” amount to between 2 300 and 2 500 soldiers deployed at any one time, working on the basis of 160 in an infantry rifle company.

Against this is the BMA, which a Parliamentarian said earlier this year has 673 “border law enforcement officers” on its total personnel strength of 2 606, including 400 newly appointed junior border guards. When fully staffed the BMA is mooted to have over 11 000 personnel.

Indications are around four thousand plus of these could come from the SA Police Service (SAPS) which, according to Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament (MP) Adrian Roos, are already assigned duties at air, land and sea ports of entry. They, like some Department of Home Affairs (DHA) officials, are set to move onto BMA personnel strength sooner rather than later in the wake of a meeting between now suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, replaced by Firoz Cachalia on 1 August, and the Home Affairs Ministry incumbent, Leon Schreiber. At the beginning of May, authorisation was given for the transfer to the BMA of police and Department of Home Affairs officials carrying out border functions.

As it presently stands the entity specifically tasked with border protection has the least number of border guards confined to 10 km on either side of land ports of entry, with the SA Army having around 2 300 soldiers on the ground doing the hard yards in often unhospitable terrain ranging from thick bush to desolated semi-desert and mountains. The most recent example of the dangers faced by soldiers on border protection was the apparently trampling to death of a soldier by an elephant in the Madimbo area of operations.

The South African Police Service remains at present a contributor to border security with officers based at air, land and sea ports of entry. There are about 4 400 police officers assigned to border control and protection duties.

In a joint presentation to Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on 18 July, the BMA said the main risk it faces is limited capacity, which hampers its ability to effectively fulfil its mandate. This has been worsened by the lack of additional funding allocated to the entity, leaving it unable to recruit much-needed human resources or invest in technology that could alleviate pressure on existing staff. Moving forward, the BMA will prioritise filling critical positions, and is requesting additional funds through the Criminal Assets Recovery Account (CARA).

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Additionally, SSA operatives and analysts saw to it law enforcement agencies, in the form of the Border Management Authority (BMA) and SA Police Service (SAPS), were provided with intelligence “product” on vulnerabilities at South Africa’s air, land and maritime ports of entry.

Ntshavheni was replying to Sixolisa Gcilishe, an Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Member of Parliament (MP). Gcilishe is a National Assembly (NA) public representative who sought details of assistance given to law enforcement to “improve efficiency and effectiveness in combatting crime and ensuring justice for victims”.

The Ntshavheni reply has it the SSA “set an objective to provide intelligence in line with National Intelligence Priorities (NIPs) – to inform, forewarn, advise and contribute to combat organised crime on intelligence risks related to securing the territorial integrity, sovereignty and constitutional order” in the 2024/2025 financial year.

It notes further: “There is continuous support to law enforcement agencies to improve their efficiency and effectiveness in combating crime and ensuring justice for victims. However, the SSA still endeavours and pursues the aim of intelligence collection, analysis, advice and recommendations to focus intensively over the next five years on threats to the critical success factors of the 7th administration’s priorities that are encapsulated in the draft medium term development plan (MTDP) 2024 /2029”.

South Africa’s intelligence agents find themselves in an environment characterised by what the minister said is “an escalation of threats” in 2024/25. These include to the authority of the State, the well-being and safety of South Africans as well as the country’s territorial integrity and the economy.

“Alerts and daily intelligence products on various instances of social instability were provided to the National Joints and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), SAPS, at national and provincial levels, and SAPS Crime Intelligence. The products were used to inform deployments by law enforcement structures aimed at curbing anti-constitutional activities and preventing harm and damage to personnel, property and infrastructure.

“In addition, strategic products are generated in accordance with the 2024/25 SSA production schedule. Through recommendations to policymakers and law enforcement agencies, the products contribute toward preventing risks and threats to national security in the medium to long term,” Ntshavenhi stated.

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After presentations by the DNA Board, officially the National Forensic Oversight and Ethics Board; Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) Judge Charmaine Marshall and the Civilian Secretariat for Police, PCP chair Ian Cameron in a hard-hitting statement last month said that for public trust to be regained, all pillars in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS) must be functional.

As examples he quoted the cases of a 15-year-old rape victim in the Temba Magistrate’s Court postponed three times since November 2023 and that of Simbongile Mancotywa from Cofimvaba, murdered in May 2020, with the case postponed “countless times” due to DNA analysis delays. These, Cameron said are just two instanced highlighting the need for the DNA Board to enhance monitoring to ensure the FSL and NFDD are functional.

The Cameron statement further notes the DNA Board should not merely accept reports from the FSL and NFDD but should ensure congruency between what is reported and the lived experiences on the ground. “It is in this context the committee raised concerns that cases finalised outside standard timeframes increased from 55 681 for the 2022/23 financial year to 74 142 in the 2023/24 financial year, an increase of 24.90%. A strengthened oversight mandate will ensure such deficiencies are remedied timeously,” it reads in part.

Cameron’s committee plans a meeting to “look closely” at the effectiveness of the DNA Board. This will also see discussions on legislative change and consequence management.

Another concern is the lack of awareness campaigns by the DNA Board in the just ended financial year.

The lack of awareness of the Board’s mandate negatively affects its effectiveness and the implementation of the mandate. “It is unacceptable that budgetary constraints can be highlighted as a constraint because there are other effective measures that can be implemented to circumvent financial constraints. Despite this, the committee has welcomed assurances that the SAPS and Civilian Secretariat of Police have undertaken to include in their awareness campaigns the mandate of the DNA Board,” the statement has Cameron saying.

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